A Hollow Memory
by RandallFanOne
Summary: Nightmare Before ChristmasRandall crossover. Slowly losing his memory, Randall Boggs stumbles upon another world that compares to his, but is it the same one or a world that will change him even more?
1. Default Chapter

Hello everyone! Sean here. For a long time now, I've wanted to do a Halloween Special with Randall, but couldn't find a story to stick with. However, inspired by my friends, I went on to do a crossover with Nightmare Before Christmas. I figured posting it on Halloween is a good start.

This chapter mainly is Randall's current situation and his discovery of "the doors". You can all guess that he would make a small connection to the tree doors and the door he was pushed through.

Chapter 1 The Doors of Seasons 

He'd been walking now.

A long time.

He couldn't even remember where he was going now.

No purpose, no destination. Just letting his four feet take him straight.

He was too tired to wonder where he was going, or how he was going to get there. Too starving and thirsty to stop a single action. Randall considered himself lucky that the buzzards and condors weren't over his fronds.

Randall. Right. Now he remembered his name once again,

Every now and then, Randall forgot even the simplist of things. His name, where he was from, his life. He simply didn't care to remember anymore.

All he truly remembered was when he was thrown into this world.

It happened so quickly. Too quickly. He wasn't given the chance. It was like a ping inside him always forcing of the memory. He'd been stabbed in the back actually.

His welcome wasn't very pleasant at all. He had cuts on his tail, bruises on his back and arms, wounds on his feet, and a deep scar on his head, one the made the most trouble for him. Another angry memory came to him. He couldn't blend. The one thing that Randall thought that made him special, unique....was gone. It could be only temporary or would just work on occasions, but after a year, it seemed to be a false hope for him.

A year?

He looked around where he was as his feet continued to drag him. Randall had lost rack of where he was the past weeks. Not remembering where he's come, event how he gets to the places he does.

There were trees. Several trees. Each seeming to have the life burned out of them. Randall could relate,, sweating with the sun's raise beaming down on him. The mere thought of dying in a lifeless field seemed....seemed proper.

Randall just didn't want to walk anymore. He stopped near a tree, setting his top right arm on its truck shielding his head as he looked down and coughed.

Tired, sick, and probably as dry as a raisin. What was the point? He'd been trying a year now to get back to that place, receiving no help. Why bother if Death was inevitable.

He honestly felt like hurling or something. Similar, not that there would be much would be coming out.

Still ....something seemed very wrong.

Picking his head up, he looked around. Just trees.....more trees. Taking a limping step, he looked past the tree he had stopped upon. He became confused as he did. Far ahead, but seeable, was a color. Something green. It seemed a little off that this lifeless path held something.

Always curious, Randal felt the need to find out what it was, or at least get a closer look. He lowered his back and got on all eights, taking a slow run toward it.

If Randall's mouth hadn't been dry, he would have said something, but he just gave a simple gasp at the first look.

This place was worth looking at. The green color was a design on one of the trees. Paint or some kind of spray. Randall's first thought was kids, but having thought it through, it wasn't that easy. There were no kids around, the paint looked old, and the designs were so well done. And also.....

He turned around. There was a circle of trees. The other, plain trees were all separate. But these.....these were in perfect circulation with each other, each set apart at the right angle, right distance from another.

Randall looked through them. The green color was that of a Christmas tree, another with eggs on it, one with a turkey, and another with a heart. The others Randall didn't care to look at. One in particular caught his interest. A pumpkin was placed on it. It was also the tree that made him notice a knob on the picture's side.

Curious, Randall thought it was a waste of time to place a knob on all the trees in the circle. So....why do it?

He took to it, stepping in front of the "door". He grabbled the knob, feeling idotic, and pulled. He moved back as the door easily came open without a sound. He then, just as quickly, closed it. It didn't make sense to him. "(_All hollow!?)" _he thought . The quick peek led to dark, up and down, nothing. Still, maybe there was something he didn't see.

Opening the door slowly again, one of his emerald eyes pierced the darkness. He fully opened it, looking down.

Dark. All dark.

He refrained from stretching his neck out, it hurt like everything else, so he leaned in. There was something. A whirl of wind probably, but...from inside? That was impossible, but something was there.

Randall could see a darker figure inside. As soon as he had laid eyes on it, something shot up at him.

Randall was pushed back, but was grabbed by a dark blob of some kind, something that stretched from the tree's dark pit to him. Randall felt something tighten around his arms, he couldn't move. Something wrapped around his neck, making him almost lose his breath. Another thread wrapped around his tail, making him unable to lash out to try and get free.

He wanted to yell or bite the thing off, but his head was already wrapped around. The back of his body no longer felt the ground. He was being lifted. His left eye saw the door pass, then close, and found himself falling into the hollow.

Falling......

Falling......

Keep in mind that Randall has a case of memory loss and is slowly losing his memory through the story, thanks to his arrival in our world. This will be one of the main plots of the story. Stay tuned for Boogey's Boy's and Jack Skelengton!

Happy Halloween!


	2. The Town of Nightmares

Well since of this story's popularity in the beginning, I finally started and finished up another chapter. Jack doesn't come in till the next chapter I think, this one is mainly setting up. Well umm….enjoy. Cool….watching for ya .

****

Chapter 2 The Town of Nightmares

Am I knocked out? I can't feel anything. Wait no. It's...cold...very cold. I'm not on that same dirt anymore. It feels different for some reason, why was it like that? So different. There had to be a reason. Then again...there hardly is. Guess I should get up first off. Wait a minute...voices. Voices of something. I hear something. Voices, footsteps. Something was coming...

Can't move, better not get up.

(NS)

Randall just starred where he was, not moving as much to attract attention, or inform his founders that he was alive, which wasn't actually far from the truth. Regardless, there were three separate kind of footsteps. Randall could tell. His hearing wasn't as bad as it use to be. The difference was the size of the person. A big one, a thin one, and sort of average. All three were coming close to him. Whomever they were, they didn't seem to notice him at first. Of course, Randall knew his luck wouldn't be enough to get him out of this.

"Hey Barrel! Lock! Look at this!". Randall growled in his mouth. Kids? Who else would it be. "Never seen that before...". "Well what do you expect Lock, you hardly want to see the whole place...". "Hey!".

"Anyway...what should we do with it Shock?". "Hmmm...maybe we should take him to the tree house...we'll take care of him then...Barrel you carry!". "Me! I can't carry that much even if I wanted to!". "He's right Shock...hey! Lets get our nap bag! That'll make it easy!". "Right...he looks like he won't get up for a long time...lets hurry!".

The steps pounded rapidly, then slowly started to leave. Then nothing. They were gone. What luck!

Randall had wanted to get up, his brain had already ordered to for the past several minutes. The seemingly minute long struggle to get up led to his hands pulling his upper body up. His eyes felt like crust as he tried to open them. Slightly dazed at first, which seemed to happen allot when he first woke up from anything, his vision slowly became a complete whole, making the sight of where he was seeming to be as strange as it was clear than it was as a blur.

The ground was a dark, almost purple gray. Randall was curious that it actually looked allot like his own scales. It had ripples in it, like sand, but this ground was solid like dirt, like solid Earth. The ripples made it feel almost like sitting on a pineapple. There were few trees spread out across the variety of hills. Each one having no leaves Their trunks were thin and gray, heading high and splitting off to only a few other branches. The place felt like a swirl cup in dinners, with the ground as it's body and the trees as it's several straws.

Randall was starting to feel cold now. With sudden interest, he looked up. A gasp was forming in his throat, but it couldn't escape because of the loss of water.

There were no stars. None. It was almost as if the sky was repainted a dark black, empty color, another layer that overlapped the glitters of light. Randall knew that both the human world and his own had stars in the sky. It was something that had always been there.

Another "one of the night" caught his attention. Looking higher with his eyes, he caught sight of the moon. But no. This wasn't the normal moon he knew. This one wasn't gray and white and was so far away. This moon….it was yellow. Like another sun in the sky that didn't blind you. And it was close. Randall was confused at this point. It wasn't natural for no stars….wasn't natural for yellow moon.

Randall gulped a lump forming in his throat, the two gasps that tried to escape. "A…a yellow moon?" he said to himself, a slight whisper and trying to use as little stress on his rasphry voice as he could.

He slowly got to his feet, clutching his left arms with which he had felt hit the ground first when he did. The sudden pain made him remember.

He looked down to the rippled ground beneath him, thinking. "(What was that thing?)" he thought. That thing that had grabbed him and pulled him inside. That….that thing that pulled him into that door….and placed him somewhere that….that he knew nothing about at all. This wasn't Mon nor Human. Wherever this was, he knew he had to find out. But, more importantly, he had to find somewhere to grab something to satisfy himself. He felt like he would shrivel up any moment.

Letting his logical side take over, Randall looked out over the hills for any signs of life he could. He remembered the kids, or whatever they could have been, that had found him when he first arrived. He figured that they would be heading to a place of there own. Still, Randall was smart enough that he knew that where they were going would lead to probably another knock out.

Taking a glance around him, he saw something in the distance. It looked like some sort of tower, but Randall couldn't tell what it was exactly. Going on instinct….

"(Just move!)".

(NS)

"Oh…oh my….".

Randall had just came over a hill that seemed just like any other. But the problem was, was that there was something behind it. Randall gaped at what he was seeing. It looked like a town. But….it wasn't normal. It didn't look human, that's for sure.

"Jeez….can't help but wonder how the mayor keeps up…" Randall mumbled, hoping over the hill, which was a mistake on his part. His feet went unbalanced and he slid down the side. The hill wasn't smooth, so the dirt and rock scratched at his back as he fell on his face. Onto the ground, his lower body twisting upward, dropping Randall's faithful tail between his eyes.

It was a minute later that his mouth mumbled words that a child shouldn't hear, that his eyes perked open. Twisting the slightly broken bone in his tail to get a better view, Randall saw he was in a lit area. Shifting his eyes up, he saw he was under a pole with a light. But….the light wasn't a bulb….it was pumpkin.

Mumbling, he tried to get to his feet. He pushed his back body backward to get up. "Ow!". He got back on eight. A slight twist of his head showed him he had several cuts on his back. "(Err….WHEN….will I get a break!)" he yelled in thought. He figured that going on all eight was starting to get familiar to him, as he nearly had a broken back when he first came to the Human world. Thinking of that…

He rose a finger to brush his head scar. After a moment, he didn't feel anything, it hadn't opened.

Sighing with relief, he started forward, taking almost shy dog steps. As he walked, the hills to his sides slowly became moldy, but sturdy, stone walls. Randall figured the town was built into the hills.

He stopped when something on the left caught his eye. "Gah!". His fronds shot up as he quadruple side stepped. He calmed down when he noticed it wasn't moving. Seemingly built into the ground by black metal iron, there looked to be Tikis. Like those found in Hawaii. Each one was iron and carved with the zig-zag scary mouth and orb eyes with a tail to each respected side. Each one had differences, but Randall didn't care.

He took a few steps forward, like a curious kid, and tried to look in it. He growled, no good. Shaking his head, he started forward again, taking a glance back. For a moment, he thought something was inside…..breathing on him.

Though, what Randall didn't know, something WAS inside. And whatever it was, it kept it's eyes on Randall, watching as the unknowing monster looked through the gate of a town it knew so well….until it was brought down.

(NS)

"What in….".

Randall had been peeking through the gate, but all he could see was straight ahead. His body wasn't thin enough, as thin as it was already, to head through a tissue box end size hole. The gate was iron and see-through. Each bar ended in a spike that went into the ground.

Randall backed away from the gate, looking it over. "(Hmm….I don't see anything to raise it….can't climb up it……and…woah!)".

Randall quickly backed up. The gate shook and started to slowly rise with the sounds of scratching chains. It shook side to side before it made it's home over head. The gate was open.

Raising a brow, Randall started to reconsider the proposal of turning back and leaving right now. Then again, the curious nature deep within him drove him on. Taking a few steps in, he stopped almost immediately as his top right hand lifted from the cobble stone ground.

"Oh my….what in…". It was like something out of a nightmare.

It was a circular area, the end bound by an iron rod fence. If you think, the first looked like a keyhole. The gate lead into a de-elevated area with a fountain. There was an elevated area around it, boarded by a smaller fence. Starting from the left. There were pumpkins. Seemingly hand carved pumpkins that showed no signs of aging. There were elevated parts on the stone wall, which seemed to board what the iron fence could not. On top was, yet again, a pumpkin. Going left, there was something Randall had never seen before. Standing on a stone base nearly the same height as Randall on two feet, was an iron carved pumpkin. Randall could not begin to imagine how it was built in such a manner. Going more left, there were two large pumpkins built into the stone wall, larger than any pumpkin he had seen. They were erieely glowing, but there didn't seem to be any candles. Next was another iron pumpkin. Next to that were a few gray style houses, one at the end looked peculiar, might lead into a courtyard. Next was something in the de-elevated area.

"Oh boy…" Randall whispered like a child about to get hit. It was a guillotine a expertly made guillotine. It's blade was up, but luckily, no signs of it being used. Shaking his head, he looked back up to the elevated area. The stone wall boarded another courtyard, lifeless, that also had a smaller gate. This one led to the house that Randall had noticed before. It was thin but tall. It's top left side went up further. The tower. Randall gasped as he saw it. There was a light on. Someone was there.

He looked back over the scene once more, taking a few steps forward to look with what was on his left. There was a storage roof that looked like a dog house….then….a crystal clear well that had a medieval cage hanging above. Next, looked like the town hall. With it's columns, banner, and clock. The clock was broken. Beyond there was a path that led to another gate, but Randall wasn't concerned about it at the time. Why would he?

Randall started slowly toward the thin building with the tower's light, gulping and feeling fear within him. Randall knew he was brave, braver than most, but with everything he had been through and knowing nothing about this place, he couldn't help but be fearful of the unknown.

As he walked, he looked back at the fountain in the center. The fountain had green almost emerald water, like his own eyes. The fountain circled around what was leaning over it's end. It…looked like a serpent. It's tail ended within a stand, coming up forming a half moon shaped body. It's body had slits, like scales. Near the end of it's tail, there seemed to be another one. Near behind it's head were short, really short wings. It's hands were three fingered, digging into it's neck. It's face was oval with sharp teeth, black hollow eyes and horns, like it was choking. Randall thought for that moment….it almost looked like him.

He stopped at the gate of the tower-like building, giving a gulp. "Ok ok….well…I…I can do this…just….focus…just focus…". He stayed there for a moment, trying to gather the courage scattered about him….

But the feeling that he was surrounded was starting to grow……

Battered and having his heart racing, will Randall be able to get through this? Well maybe and maybe not. And who was this creature watching Randall? No…it wasn't an inhabitant of the town….but merely one that wants to get back….

Till next chapter!


	3. The Pumpkin King

Ha ha! Betcha all thought that this was always gonna be dead and dormant! Ha ha! Well sorry! Your wrong! 

I am back people. I finally got into writing spirit and figured…might as well get back to the old stories and update as best as I can. So here's a Hollow Memory's third chapter! And the crowd goes go wild!

…..Yay…..

Ok anyway. This chapter is pretty long to make up for the wait. Things start to get interesting. Heh heh. Enjoy.

Chapter 3 The Pumpkin King 

Randall's tense fingers, if they were particularly called that, shook as they grabbed the iron bars of the gate. With a loud creek, which made Randall look back to the center of the town to see if anyone had heard, the gate opened. Looking back, he gave a sigh of relief. He might not have remembered why, but the feeling of un-expectation felt common to him.

Still on all eight, he headed for the steps. They were three, quite large and tall, which took him a few more seconds than any normal staircase would have taken. Randall was beginning to think that this place was, indeed, not human. He stopped at the top, looking at the place's construct. Maybe it would give him insight as to what this place was.

Two long poles at the end of the square platform hung an arc made of the same material…wood maybe, but he couldn't tell. There was an emblem perhaps of a bat of some sort. Randall was not one to judge this, but he thought that the thing was looking at him. Shaking that off, he turned to the door. Whatever lived here, if lived was the right term, it was as big as Randall was on rear feet.

Randall let a gulp go down his dried throat, hoping that confrontation was not in his future. He looked up at the door more thoroughly. On the right side of the door, was a door bell. One of those pulling types. But what made Randall think was weird, was that the decoration on it was a spider. Yet again…he was unsure if it was alive.

Figuring that was a bad choice, he went to the door. He examined the doorknob for a moment. Nothing of interest, but Randall knew he had to turn it. He took a minute to look back at his scarred back.

"(Err…this place seems more like a death trap than anything else)" he grunted in his mind, cursing the sizzling burn from the cuts. He looked to the door again. This was gonna hurt.

He took a few tiny steps back, wiggled his tail like a cat would for a pounce, and then sprang over and up. When his hands found the doorknob, the rest of his left side impacting the door loud enough to be mistaken for a knock, he twisted it and fell back to the floor, landing on his side again.

"Ahh!". He let out a groan of pain as the edges of his scars, getting onto his feet again. He took a moment to recover, still feeling stings, and noticed the door was near closed, swinging back. "Shoot!".

He ran forward, hitting his head and fronds against the door, stopping it's task of re-closing itself. When he pulled his upper left hand against the door's side, Randall let out a sigh of relief to not having to redo the event again.

With a push of the hand, Randall stepped inside…

(NS)

Randall always knew, even in his damaged memory, that things are not what they appear to be. From the outside, with it's cubic structure of seemingly three stores, the tower included, it seemed too small to be livable. But what Randall was looking at, the room was, indeed, very spacey.

He slowly went forward to the center to get a better view, his padded feet hitting against a red carpet of some sort. He stopped at it's center, looking about. Weird. The carpet seemed like the only, even if it was dark red, other color. The walls were a tone-down gray. The wood within the building, forming the several cabinets and tall dressers, were a dusty brown that seemed to blend in with the gray.

Randall stopped looking for a second, holding a hand to his head. "(Blend? Blend? Why does that…ehh…it's…)". His hand ran over his head scar. Feeling the uprooted scales made him retract his hand before any pain came. "(It's….it's not….just a word that's it…)".

He looked around again. The place…looked familiar in a way. Randall just couldn't place it. The overall feel of the place seemed familiar. In the upper left corner was an elevated boarded walk-way, three steps to reach. Farther up was stairs that led to the second floor. The right corner held several drawers and cabinets with broken glass, each containing, which Randall thought was unusual, items that reminded him of that green-colored door with a rainbow of decoration he had seen before. Unknown to exactly what they were, he continued on, turning about to see the lower half. The lower left corner, his left, there was a coat hanger of some sort. But it was weird. It's lower half seemed to have a face…mouth and eyes closed, but it looked carved so it wasn't alive….or….was it? All Randall could tell was that the swaying, thin branches where the coats hung, swung without any wind to aid. Looking to the lower right, and up to the stairs again, there hung weird portraits. Each one had a picture of a creature of some sort. Very….very thin. Randall rose a brow, if he had one, looking at it. It was the weirdest creature he had ever imagined he had seen. It was very tall. A suit…seemingly like a tuxedo or something like that….all blinded with white and black. The collar was centered with a face….a bat….then went out in both directions like wings. The head….the head was confusing. Simply a round…white orb…with dark holes for the eyes, mouth, and nose…but it was…strange…..

"Did I drop into a nut house or what?" Randall questioned to himself in a low voice, looking at the other pictures. There was another one. Seemingly to have the same eeriness that the first had. This one…was….a woman…if you could call it a women. The figure reminded Randall of a human woman for sure…but something seemed off. Every piece of her clothing, like rags, seemed to be made out of different pieces of cloth expertly sewed together. This didn't both Randall. What did…was the sew marks on the women's limbs. Her arms, legs, even head seemed as if they were sewed together. Randall let a gulp draw down his throat, thinking how'd he be if he had had the same…"treatment" this woman had had. Her hair was long and brown, seemingly nothing wrong. Her eyes were so wide…and colorless…but they held a deep complexion within…a deep feeling within….

"(What kind of person….keeps stuff like….)". "AH!".

Randall jumped onto his back, causing pain to scatter in his mind. He didn't let it stop him as he scuttled backward, causing even more pain, underneath the nearest table, on the right side. He hit the wall, making him stop, then realize the pain. He held his mouth with his upper hands as his lower ones tried to put pressure on the pain. "Emmph!" he yelped through his hands. It took him minutes to recover, making him slug against the wall, wrapping his arms around himself, arms closed, teeth clenched. When a moment passed, and the pain began to numb, he looked up at the steps to the second floor.

Something sprang to life upstairs. It still was. It wasn't a person though, but someone was causing it. Randall could only hear the low, pounding tone, or some kind of instrument upstairs. He didn't know what it was….but the word "pipe" and "organ" would come to mind for anyone else.

Randall motioned his head out from hiding, his fronds lowered as he looked to see if anyone was coming. No one, just the noise of the instrument. It was deep. Anyone who was even a half-death might not hear it. Although Randall was judgmental about his hearing now, he could certainly hear the death-rattle-like piping going up on the second floor. The eerie surroundings and the music made Randall think he was in some kind of funeral…

"(Ehh…funeral? That…sounds familiar but…ehh…)". He shook his head, scolding himself for such thoughts. He looked back to the stairs, eyes tense. "I gotta get up to that floor there…someone HAS to be playing that….and maybe I can get outta this weird place…".

He got back onto his feet, trying to forget the pain, and started up the stairs….

(NS)

Randall took his fronds in one of his upper hands, pulling them back as he lifted his head, just enough for his eyes to peek at the second floor. Seemingly like the first one, there were stairs on the right side, leading up to the tower. There were several boxes, seemingly for storage. There were a few other things Randall didn't care to look at, but what caught him was what lied just ahead, beside the tall window of the second floor. There…was a pipe organ. It was huge, probably the biggest instrument one would imagine. The pipes were made of old, torn fake gold, there were probably nearly 12 of them.

"Huh?".

There was a very tall chair in front, nearly blocking any keys he could see. He couldn't tell if someone was moving…but common sense made him suggest that it HAD to be somebody. For a moment, Randall was judgmental about whether this was such a good idea or not. He could fight if it came to that, but he was still unsure. But then again, he figured a slim chance is still that, a chance.

"(Just slowly….if he…she…or whatever it is…does anything funny…I'll take care of it from there…)".

Coming to his conclusion, he started up to the second floor. He knew it would hurt, but he rose onto his normal four feet. That while of waiting paid off he guessed. Now on four feet, Randall started as cautiously as possible, trying to see if there was any other movement besides the air from the organ pipe. He started to think surprising this person may not be such a good idea….

He stopped where he was, half-way to the organ. He held his hands together, hoping this was not going to lead to confrontation, he had had his fill of that, and twisted his forked tongue.

"Uh…hey…".

The pipe organ stopped, instantly making Randall regret. He took a few steps back, rising his hands if defense was needed. When nothing happened after a few moments, Randall knew something was wrong.

"What? You immobile or som…". He went over to the side of the organ. "HUH!". No one was there. Randall had his eyes wide, mouth dropped, backing up near the window. "How…how….".

Randall stopped. A shadow…a BIG….shadow…was cast onto the organ that was not there before. Randall eyes went as wide as they could and his pupils shrank, mouth sealed. He let another gulp head down his throat before he slowly turned around to see…..

"AHH!". What he saw had to be the most surprising, and yet terrifying thing he had ever seen. So much, that he did not realize where he was going. Randall backed up with too much speed, his tail curled as his back hit the glass of the window….too hard.

(TSSSSHHHH!)

The glass broke, taking Randall with it. "Omph! Ow! Ah!". He twirled in a loop like one would falling down hill. He hit the arc above the door, sending him, somehow, falling back into the air high. Randall twisted around, finally able to see where he was going. He was falling, straight into the fountain….

(SSSSPPPLLLLAAAASSSHHH!)

He found himself starring at incredible green, even more so than his own eyes. He felt luck was on his side, as the impact seem to dull any pain from the fall, but still felt that he should leave as soon as possible through that gate. He swam as best he could to the top, his dripping scaled head poking out, his hands grabbing the rim of the fountain. But it was then…that he wish he had stayed in…

Randall screamed, but it was caught off by the green liquid rushing in his mouth. Clear, white things…were surrounding him. Twirling around the fountain in a sequence fashion, each one screaming like a banshee in the night. They were dead…they…they couldn't be real.

Randall pulled himself up, spitting the water that would have clogged his lungs out onto the pebbled ground, but it led to something else. The sound of something familiar, a snake. "AHH!". He fell back into the fountain as a black and white snake rose up It's head accompanied by ghastly black tentacles, it's eyes beady, and it's mouth even wider than Randall's was. When he was in the water, desperately trying to hold his breath, he heard voices…like…singing…chanting maybe. Then…he saw four figures, seemingly to appear above the water, turning around as if they were floating. Each one looked different in form, but the basic rule for each….was they looked like the blood-sucking creatures humans called "vampires". Randall didn't know what to do. He was only thankfully they flew off, giving him a chance to rise again, pulling his arm up over the edge of the fountain, his wet body trying to gasp for air. But before he could even get a breath in, something popped up from below.

"GAH!". Randall backed up this top, hitting his back against the centerpiece of the fountain, his elbows grabbing for support. The creature laughed a bit with enjoyment at the scare. Whatever it was, he had never seen such a thing before. It's body looked like scales, it's arms the same, ending with strange, wood-like fingers. It's head was against reality. It's lower half white with shark-like teeth, and it's lower half, complete with yellow eyes and three long, thick tentacle hairs, and teeth….seemed to float above it's other half. Beside it giggled two other creatures. A wolf of some sort dressed in a plaid shirt. And another seemed to be some kind of melting creature in a white tuxedo.

Randall let his eyes wonder as his heart pounded a mile a minute. These…these things were not like him. No…these…these were something else.

Laughing from above caused him to look up. Randall let a gasp escape his mouth as he saw three creatures of incredible ugliness. Witches. That's what they were. They giggled at the sight of his fear as if they enjoyed it. Their vision, as well as those that Randall did and did not see, turned to the house Randall had entered earlier. Doing the same, Randall looked up.

His eyes went as wide as they were able…near to the possibility of coming out. He couldn't believe that that thing…in the picture he had seen was a reality….it was…standing there at the broken window was…was…..

Randall's eyes fell, along with his body, his jaw hitting the rim of the fountain…his vision falling. He heard voices as he drifted into darkness….

Looks like Randall's got himself into a fix again. What horrible situation has he gotten himself into…and….will he get out? Till next chapter!


	4. The Residents

Ahh…

Well. You fans wanted it. I finally got a chapter done. It's a little small, but I'm not so good at fitting in TOO many characters in one place. The next chapter, with Sally and Randall, should be a little longer.

Anyway. Enjoy. There…aren't much on description for the residents, but they're easily recognizable in a word heh. Enjoy.

Chapter 4 The Residents

Jack looked over the broken window glass of his second floor, idly standing over to see what had happened. At first, he was a bit blank for expression over his white stitch-liked mouth. He had heard that ghost who came over for a quick piano lesson stop playing and decided to see what happened. Somebody had come into his house. Of course, Jack wasn't mad, on the contrary, he enjoyed visits when he wasn't doing something important, which everyone would know about beforehand.

But he guessed he gave the visitor a little fright, no harm in that right? But the confusing part was the fact that whomever it was actually seemed scared. Heck. Anyone around here knew Jack well and he never would harm anyone, nor anyone else for that matter. It was strange that whomever it was…well…so scared.

Jack held his opposite hand to his head, his jail-house like tux never wrinkling with each movement. Most of the residents of the town could take a fall like that…but then again…he didn't know.

He lowered his hand to his mouth. "All well down there!" he yelled down. Ezmarelda, the tallest of the Three Witch Sisters, floated above the Screaming Fountain on her broom stick, looking up to Jack. "This one's a little wet behind the ears!" she said with a giggle, her sisters Belleza and Kermi joining in. "Yeah…guess he wanted to get in the water" said Julius, the Harlequin demon. Jack shook his head, seeming as if he was worried for nothing.

"Jack! Jack! Everybody!". Jack turned his attention to where City Hall was, it's doors now closing from someone heading out. With his head twisted to his worried expression…was the Mayor. He lifted his loudspeaker over his depressed mouth, looking up to Jack even as he spoke. "Jack! What happened!" his crackled voice asked though the speaker.

Jack gave a quiet smile, looking at the Mayor with little concern. "Everything is alright Mr. Mayor…just a little fall from a town resident" he called down. The Mayor looked around, noticing everyone looking at him, but that wasn't the Mayor's concern.

"Somebody fell? Where?" he asked. The Mayor turned to the fountain, having been tapped on the shoulder by the town's werewolf in a checkered suit, Louis. He took a hold of the rim and pushed up, looking in. He saw a darker part of the water, something was in it, but that was all.

"Well…we better pull them out…umm…whomever it is…who is it?" he asked, looking at everyone, getting only head scratches and shrugs. The Mayor shook his head, motioning for help with his spare hand. Bonzo, the poke-dot wearing, red noise, beanie hat dressed clown of the town, came over to the fountain. Behemoth accompanied him, the colossal man in slacks and an axe in his head. The two came over to the fountain's side and reaching in. Bonzo giggled at the tiny task, taking whatever it was by the arms and pulling it up. Behemoth did the same with the lower body, with no effort at all on his part. The Mayor, as well as Jack….and everyone else for that matter, watched in anticipation.

Finally, Bonzo pulled the "swimmer's" upper torso up. "What is it?" asked Murry, the town's saxophonist. The Mayor noted it's appearance, having been someone he'd never seen before. Very long, very thin. Four arms, four legs…a weird shaped head with two closed orbs for eyes, three long things in the middle of it's head. Purple…with bits of blue and a blue tail…

"Who is it?" asked Kermi, still floating above the fountain. "Never seen'em before…" Louis butted in. The Mayor retracted his question, looking over the strange…well stranger. "Hmm…he doesn't look to be awake…" he said with a worried tone. Throughout all this, Jack had been wondering if whomever it was had been hurt by the fall. "Mayor! I'll be right down! Bring them in!" he yelled down. If the person was hurt, or at least knocked out, he did have the need to let them rest in his house. Heck…it WAS though his window after all.

Jack disappeared into his house as Bonzo, the Mayor, Behemoth, and their "guest" started into Jack's house. The Mayor stopped, turning to the others. "Alright everyone…it's over…back to normal…heh…normal yes…" he said, his head turning around to his other emotion, pure happiness.

(NS)

Jack pondered in his second floor, skeleton hand to skeleton head. His long, thin body standing as still as a scarecrow as he thought. _"Someone new? There hasn't been any new residents for…well I can't remember…" _he thought.

Jack had always thought Halloween Town and it's members were unhurt-able. He never really had much concern for people's health in general because…really…nobody was actually hurt. Then again, he couldn't really roll out the possibility of someone getting hurt…ever since Oogie…

Jack's hollow eyes turned down at the mention of that name. Oogie Boogie. That creature that stalked the depths of Halloween Town and who had nearly caused chaos by, in his own twisted way, killing the person he loved and, eventually, all of the town becoming his own. But Jack had stopped him. Nearly a year ago if he remembered right. Since then, the town had been free of any…well not necessarily terror or fear….but the thought of what Oogie could do to them.

Jack shook his head, heading to the spiral stairs. He shouldn't have to think of that right now. He had other problems to worry about. Such as if whoever this was that had fallen out of his window, merely by mistake of course, was all right.

(NS)

The Mayor had been taking care of things outside, suggesting Bonzo and Behemoth to come out as well. Now, the Mayor awaited on the first floor of Jack's abode, watching as the "hero of Halloween Town" started in.

"How is he doing Mayor?" Jack asked, his concern showing on his face. The Mayor's depressed emotion was on his face, making Jack seem a bit worried. The Mayor just shook his head. "I don't know Jack…nobody knows who this is…I've called for the doctor…but it seems he isn't there…".

Jack's non-existent brow rose. "Really? That is odd…" he said. Professor Finkelstein's lifestyle has changed since he got…ahem…made himself a new wife. He seems to be busy more often. Speaking of wives…

(Crrrkkk)

Jack turned to the door, a grateful look of expression on his face. "Sally…".

The next chapter, as said, will feature a little bit, maybe, on Jack and Sally's current relationship, and talks between Sally and Randall. Till then!


End file.
